Ukrainian officials said Russian forces have shelled areas around the nuclear power plant near the town of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The Ukrainian nuclear power operator, Energoatom, said Russian forces bombed a power station, and the town is now largely without power.
“The water intake station is also not working — there is no water in the city,” Energoatom said on Telegram.
Energoatom also claimed that Russian rocket fire had hit the territory of the nuclear power plant.
“Three hits were recorded directly at the site of the station,” Energoatom said, claiming that one was “near one of the power units where the nuclear reactor is located.”
“Fire danger is high. Currently, there are no victims,” it said.
It’s not possible to confirm Energoatom’s claims of damage at or near the plant, which occupies a large site. Much of the recent Russian fire in the area has originated from near the plant and been aimed at the Ukrainian-held city of Nikopol across the Dnipro river.
Energoatom said: “The Ukrainian staff of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is on-site and performs all measures to ensure nuclear and radiation safety and eliminates the consequences of damage.”
Earlier on Friday, the British Ministry of Defense echoed accusations from the Ukrainian military that Russian forces are using the nuclear power plant to fire at military positions across the river, but other Western officials have downplayed the danger.
A complex situation: International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the situation at the plant was “completely out of control.”
Russia seized the plant, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, in the early days of the war on March 5. A week later, on March 12, a team of officials and technicians from Russia’s state nuclear agency, Rosatom, arrived on site to help manage the plant and help with repairs, according to Energoatom.
The situation at the plant has remained complex ever since, with Ukrainian and Russian staff working alongside each other. Communications between the plant and the IAEA has been intermittent.